And some commentary in why the US keeps dropping places:
"The US has fallen to a new low in a global ranking of political rights and civil liberties, a drop fueled by unequal treatment of minority groups, damaging influence of money in politics, and increased polarization, Invalid Link Removed by Invalid Link Removed, a democracy watchdog group."
Which is weird considering how adamant you guys are about how well you treat minorities. Still though, at least you've convinced yourselves that NZ is much worse, and that's all that matters.
But there is hope:
"The report offers three recommendations for improving American democracy: removing barriers to voting, limiting the influence of money in politics, and establishing independent redistricting commissions. Democrats in Washington are pushing all three of those reforms as part of a sweeping voting package currently under consideration in the US Senate."